But when he ran 52.8 for second place in the Big North Freedom race Jan. 14, the sprinter began to realize that the 400 was no longer just a secondary event to the short sprints he usually ran as a featured event.

"I think I was too immature as a sophomore to put everything I had into the 400 and I had to learn how to run the event,’’ said Sabatini, a Ridgewood junior.

If there was any question that Sabatini has learned the 400 — at least as a relay anchor — that was dispelled Monday night at the Bergen County Relays.

With Ridgewood needing at least a second-place finish in the night’s final event, the 4-x-400 relay, to come from behind to catch Hackensack to win the boys large-school division, Sabatini was fourth when he took the baton for his two laps at the Armory Track Center. He moved quickly into third, but the anchors of Don Bosco and Teaneck seemed too far ahead to be caught. But as Sabatini hit the final lap, the Teaneck anchor came into view and Sabatini took off.

"I saw him in front of me and I knew I had to beat him for us to have a chance to win the meet," he said, and he dashed into second on the turn.

"Then I looked up and saw the Don Bosco kid dying, and I figured why not try and catch him, too."

Sabatini went by easily and won the final event, clinching a 53-50 win for the Maroons. His 50.8 anchor 400, coupled with medal-winning runs in the sprint medley and 4-x-200, earned him the Alan Wedemeier Award as the outstanding male athlete in the meet.

"Some people think track and field isn’t a team sport, but they’re wrong," Sabatini said. "I could see how hard my guys were working in every event and I had a chance to help us bring it home."

Ridgewood was joined by River Dell’s girls in winning the large-school division and Ramsey swept the small-school trophies, with the girls winning for the first time.

The River Dell girls broke open a close meet with a win in the 4-x-400, their only win of the night and took thirds in the high jump and pole vault for the 56-44 1/2 win over Ridgewood. It was the first time since 1990 that a team not in Group 4 or Non-Public A didn’t win the girls large-school meet.

"This certainly is a good meet for us," River Dell coach Mike Urso said. "We have a well-rounded team that’s capable of scoring in every event on the track and in the field. On Saturday we rent space so we can practice the long and triple jump and pole vault, and we have a great coaching staff. It’s nice going against the big guys and winning sometimes.

The Ramsey boys won a battle of the titans with Group 1 powerhouse Hasbrouck Heights, 84-75, clinching the meet with an impressive win in the distance medley.

But it was the girls’ dominating win, by 40 points over Heights, that had Rams coach Matt Winn raving. "The girls don’t always get their due," Winn said. "But we decided to change things this year and go strong in the 4-x-1,600 after we won the hurdles. To get out with 18 points to start the meet really sets the table."

"We’ve been working for this for four years and in every practice we try to be better," senior Katie Vernon said.

The Rams won only two events: the 4-x-1,600 relay and the long jump. But they scored a remarkable nine second-place finishes in the other 10 events for a record-breaking 92 points, or four more than the record set by Glen Rock in 1995. "Now we have the momentum and we want to carry it over to the rest of winter and into spring," senior Jenna Gravalis said. "This was something I’ll never forget."

The Lou Molino Award for outstanding girls performer was shared by junior Lydon Kersting of Holy Angels, who had splits of 5:18.5 on the 4-x-1,600 and 5:15.8 on the distance medley and also split 2:25 in the 4-x-800; and Westwood senior Alexandra Cimino, who ran splits of 25.7 (200), 58.6 (400) and 2:25.1 (800) in addition to helping Westwood record a fifth place in the shuttle hurdles.

But when he ran 52.8 for second place in the Big North Freedom race Jan. 14, the sprinter began to realize that the 400 was no longer just a secondary event to the short sprints he usually ran as a featured event.

"I think I was too immature as a sophomore to put everything I had into the 400 and I had to learn how to run the event,’’ said Sabatini, a Ridgewood junior.

If there was any question that Sabatini has learned the 400 — at least as a relay anchor — that was dispelled Monday night at the Bergen County Relays.

With Ridgewood needing at least a second-place finish in the night’s final event, the 4-x-400 relay, to come from behind to catch Hackensack to win the boys large-school division, Sabatini was fourth when he took the baton for his two laps at the Armory Track Center. He moved quickly into third, but the anchors of Don Bosco and Teaneck seemed too far ahead to be caught. But as Sabatini hit the final lap, the Teaneck anchor came into view and Sabatini took off.

"I saw him in front of me and I knew I had to beat him for us to have a chance to win the meet," he said, and he dashed into second on the turn.

"Then I looked up and saw the Don Bosco kid dying, and I figured why not try and catch him, too."

Sabatini went by easily and won the final event, clinching a 53-50 win for the Maroons. His 50.8 anchor 400, coupled with medal-winning runs in the sprint medley and 4-x-200, earned him the Alan Wedemeier Award as the outstanding male athlete in the meet.

"Some people think track and field isn’t a team sport, but they’re wrong," Sabatini said. "I could see how hard my guys were working in every event and I had a chance to help us bring it home."

Ridgewood was joined by River Dell’s girls in winning the large-school division and Ramsey swept the small-school trophies, with the girls winning for the first time.

The River Dell girls broke open a close meet with a win in the 4-x-400, their only win of the night and took thirds in the high jump and pole vault for the 56-44 1/2 win over Ridgewood. It was the first time since 1990 that a team not in Group 4 or Non-Public A didn’t win the girls large-school meet.

"This certainly is a good meet for us," River Dell coach Mike Urso said. "We have a well-rounded team that’s capable of scoring in every event on the track and in the field. On Saturday we rent space so we can practice the long and triple jump and pole vault, and we have a great coaching staff. It’s nice going against the big guys and winning sometimes.

The Ramsey boys won a battle of the titans with Group 1 powerhouse Hasbrouck Heights, 84-75, clinching the meet with an impressive win in the distance medley.

But it was the girls’ dominating win, by 40 points over Heights, that had Rams coach Matt Winn raving. "The girls don’t always get their due," Winn said. "But we decided to change things this year and go strong in the 4-x-1,600 after we won the hurdles. To get out with 18 points to start the meet really sets the table."

"We’ve been working for this for four years and in every practice we try to be better," senior Katie Vernon said.

The Rams won only two events: the 4-x-1,600 relay and the long jump. But they scored a remarkable nine second-place finishes in the other 10 events for a record-breaking 92 points, or four more than the record set by Glen Rock in 1995. "Now we have the momentum and we want to carry it over to the rest of winter and into spring," senior Jenna Gravalis said. "This was something I’ll never forget."

The Lou Molino Award for outstanding girls performer was shared by junior Lydon Kersting of Holy Angels, who had splits of 5:18.5 on the 4-x-1,600 and 5:15.8 on the distance medley and also split 2:25 in the 4-x-800; and Westwood senior Alexandra Cimino, who ran splits of 25.7 (200), 58.6 (400) and 2:25.1 (800) in addition to helping Westwood record a fifth place in the shuttle hurdles.